Youth Payments Platform Virtual Piggy Rebrands as Oink

By David Penn Posted on
Categories: Virtual Piggy

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If you liked them as Virtual Piggy, then you’ll love them as Oink.

At least that’s the bet if you’re a teenager or the parent of one (or two). The Finovate alum (FinovateEurope 2013) and Best of Show winner is taking a data-driven gamble that their new name will put the company more in sync with the young teens who disproportionately use the COPPA-compliant, parental controls-equipped, youth-centered payments platform.

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As Virtual Piggy – and now as Oink – the platform works by providing young people (under 18) with an opportunity to spend and save their money in a safe and parent-controlled way. The platform is compliant with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), as well as other privacy laws, and gives e-commerce merchants the opportunity to reach the estimated $50 billion in spending every year by consumers under the age of 18.
So why the name change? Company founder and CEO Jo Webber and her team discovered that more than 65% of their active users were, in fact, over the age of 13. Having built the company based on appealing to a younger, pre-teen demographic, Webber realized that a name change – out with “piggy” in with “oink” – might help better present the company to young teens and their parents.
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Video also available here.
There’s more to what’s new with the company than the name change. There is a new iOS app, for one. And Oink, as Virtual Piggy, has announced a number a partnerships in recent weeks and months with video and social game companies like Live Gamer, Habbo Hotel, and Marvelous USA. In June, the company announced that it had topped a quarter of a million users. As of December, that number has tripled.
The new Oink has a new Oink.com website, which includes an online store with links to Oink-friendly retailers ranging from Adidas and Aeropostale to Walmart and Zappos.

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Finovate Alumni News– December 4, 2013

By David Penn Posted on
Categories: ACI Worldwide, BancVue, BBVA, Digital Insight, Doxo, Emida, EyeVerify, IntelliResponse, Intuit, Kabbage, MiiCard, Mint.com, Payoneer, PayPal, Prosper, RevolutionCredit, Taulia, TipRanks
  • BBVA Compass announces launch of BBVA Research iPad app.
  • Bank Innovation column on fintech in Israel features TipRanks and Payoneer.
  • Emida launches Handset and SIM Programs.
  • BancVue and other Credit Unions Help U-Haul Refinance Corporate Debt.
  • Prosper’s daily average loan originations grew almost 10% in November over October.
  • The Next Web reports: PayPal launches a digital gift store, featuring Apple as its sole launch partner.
  • City of Gig Harbor Launches on doxo; More than 5% of Residents Go Paperless in the First 90 Days.
  • Forbes: Kabbage Now Uses Square Data to Provide SMB Funding.
  • Mint is now available on Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone 8.
  • btcQuick Bitcoin Exchange working with miiCard to mitigate fraud.
  • EyeVerify interviewed on The Kansas City Power Lunch radio program.
  • IntelliResponse wins bronze in Best in Biz Awards’ Most Innovative Product of the Year category for 2013.
  • Intuit to purchase document startup company, Docstoc.
  • American Banker features Zaydoon Munir, founder of RevolutionCredit.
  • ACI Worldwide adds new executives, open new South American HQ in Sao Paolo, Brazil.
This post will be updated throughout the day as news and developments emerge. You can also follow all the alumni news headlines on the Finovate Twitter account.

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Finovate Alumni News– December 3, 2013

By Julie Muhn (@julieschicktanz) Posted on
Categories: Blackhawk Network, Cardlytics, Digital Insight, Geezeo, Jack Henry, MasterCard, Swipely, wipro, Xero
  • Finovate-F-Logo.jpgSwipely expands to new HQ building.
  • Wipro to buy mortgage consultancy firm Opus Capital Markets Consultants.
  • Apex Community FCU to offer Geezeo white label PFM.
  • Forbes highlights Cardlytics‘ growth and future of card-linked offers.
  • Xero adds 2 Australian banking partners: Greater Building Society and Investec.
  • TechCrunch reports: Blackhawk Network Picks Up Gift Card Startup, Retailo, To Bolster Its Reach In Europe.
  • C-SAM launches MasterPass-powered (MasterCard) digital wallet solution for FIs.
  • Jack Henry Banking wins outsourcing contract with Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania.
  • NCR to buy Digital Insight from Thoma Bravo for $1.65 billion.
This post will be updated throughout the day as news and developments emerge. You can also follow all the alumni news headlines on the Finovate Twitter account.

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Temenos Announces New Implementations of T24 in Three Ghanian FIs

By David Penn Posted on
Categories: Temenos

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Courtesy of African reseller, Global Solutions, three financial institutions in Ghana will be deploying Temenos T24 core banking software.

The announcement further distinguishes Temenos as one of the leaders in bringing banking innovation to sub-Saharan Africa. Currently more than 90 banks based in Africa are running software from Temenos.

Scalability and the capacity to work with new and existing functionality, including mobile functionality, are among the reasons cited by the various FIs in choosing Temenos to replace their legacy banking systems. Current systems in Ghana suffer from a lack of integration and redundancy, making administering the systems costly, complicated and vulnerable to downtime.

The institutions adding T24 are:
Provides personal and small business lending. Founded in 1995 as a licensed non-bank financial institution.
Among the oldest non-bank financial service companies in Ghana. Founded in 1991 and provides lending and asset management services.
Incorporated in 2011, the Royal Bank Limited operates under a universal banking license and provides accounts, savings, and investment services.
The growing middle class in Ghana is driving the demand for better financial services. Based on a report from the African Development Bank, Ghana’s middle class stands at 46% of the population, more than the continent-wide average of less than 34%. Additionally, half the potential bank customers in urban areas of the country remain unbanked, according to a national study.
Temenos demoed its edgeConnect IXP with Live Designer technology at FinovateEurope 2013. To learn more about our upcoming event in Europe, visit our FinovateEurope 2014 page here.

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Forbes Highlights Cardlytics’ Growth and Future of Card-Linked Offers

By Julie Muhn (@julieschicktanz) Posted on
Categories: Cardlytics

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In a recent article, Forbes profiled card-linked offers company Cardlytics, citing a number of stats about the five-year-old startup’s growth:

    • Has a view into 70% of U.S. bank customers
    • Serves 1 billion ads per month to an audience of more than 35 million customers
    • Powers the merchant-funded rewards platform of 400 banks, including Bank of America, PNC, Regions, and Lloyds. Across all 400 banks, Cardlytics drives $500 million in sales every quarter.
    • Claims to hold 80% of the merchant-funded rewards market, which is growing at 100% per year.
    • Has servers that, this year alone, have read 11 billion transactions that total $500 billion in spending
    • Anticipates grossing $50 million in revenue this year, $25 million in Q4 alone. Its revenue has grown 4x over last year.
    • Has raised $104 million

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Last year Bank of America launched BankAmeriDeals, which is powered by Cardlytics. So far, the program has saved customers $17 million, and the deals have generated $700 million in sales.

What if all of this growth slows to a stop? Lynne Laube, President and COO of Cardlytics, commented on other potential revenue streams. She receives many calls from companies such as hedge funds seeking to use Cardlytics’ data. This new revenue stream, however, could only be tapped if banks allow Cardlytics to use the data.

To learn more about Cardlytics, check out its demo video from FinovateFall 2013, where it debuted its geolocation application.

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Finovate Alumni News– December 2, 2013

By Julie Muhn (@julieschicktanz) Posted on
Categories: Currensee, Expensify, FinanceIt, LICUOS, Manilla, Mint.com, Place2Give, PlayMoolah, Saved Plus, Temenos, Yodlee
  • Finovate-F-Logo.jpgPlace2Give partners with GivingTuesday Canada to promote giving this holiday season.
  • PlayMoolah launches WhyMoolah in collaboration with DBS Bank.
  • FinanceIt welcomes Katie Robinson, VP of Strategic Innovation at FIS, and Mark Johnson, former vice chairman of CheckFree to its board.
  • In Xconomy post Yodlee CEO Anil Arora explains how financial apps will make people smarter & more open about money.
  • Temenos announces T24 implementations in three Ghanian FIs.
  • LICUOS featured in International Banker column on supply chain financial management.
  • Oanda announces first upgrade to its recently acquired social trading service, Currensee.
  • Mint, Manilla, Expensify, and SavedPlus listed among MyCurrencyTransfer’s “Top 10 Money-Saving Apps.”
This post will be updated throughout the day as news and developments emerge. You can also follow all the alumni news headlines on the Finovate Twitter account.

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D3 Banking Creator Lodo Software Brings in $3 Million

By Julie Muhn (@julieschicktanz) Posted on
Categories: D3 Banking, Funding, Lodo Software

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Lodo Software, creator of D3 Banking digital banking services, has recently padded its bank account. The Nebraska-based company announced yesterday that it brought in $3 million.

Invest Nebraska and Treetop Ventures contributed the funds, which will be used to bolster sales and marketing efforts and develop more products.

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Since launching in 2007, the company has brought in more than $9 million.

Lodo Software debuted D3 Banking at FinovateSpring 2013. Check out the demo here.

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Check Data Helps Researchers See Impact of Government Shutdown on Consumers

By David Penn Posted on
Categories: Check

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Academic researchers borrowed user data from mobile billpay and account management innovator, Check, to learn the exact impact of the government shutdown on consumer spending.

Based at the University of California, Berkeley and the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, users were sampled anonymously for eleven months from December 2012 through October 2013. Researchers were able to confirm, via the Check data, that the shutdown impacted consumer spending nationally (5% drop in the last 10 days of September), but that government workers cut spending the most (15% over the same period).

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“For the first time, we are able to accurately report the impact at national and local levels – and for government workers as a group – thanks to real-time data provided by Check,” said Steven Tadelis, associate professor of the University of California, Berkeley’s Haas School of Business.
More than 50.000 Check users nationwide were included in the data set. More than 3,000 of these users lived in Washington, D.C., Maryland, or Virginia. 
Check demoed its mobile billpay and account management technology (as Pageonce) for the FinovateFall 2010 show in New York.

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Finovate Alumni News– November 27, 2013

By David Penn Posted on
Categories: Cardlytics, Fiserv, Heckyl Technologies, HelloWallet, Jemstep, Mitek, Moven, PayPal, Toopher
  • Thumbnail image for Finovate-F-Logo.jpgHeckyl Technologies featured in Startup Innovation.
  • Toopher unveils WordPress plugin.
  • U.S. Bank’s Mitek-powered Mobile Photo Bill Pay wins Best Technology Initiative in Banking award.
  • Independent Research Group names Cardlytics a Best in Class Provider in 4 categories of card loyalty technology report.
  • Ally Bank adds Fiserv’s Popmoney to power recurring funds transfers on its mobile app.
  • PayPal now accepts prepaid gift cards.
  • Mashable looks at HelloWallet as an easier way to save money.
  • The Wall Street Journal reports online advisers like Jemstep enhance free services.
  • Forbes features how Moven can be especially useful over the holidays.
This post will be updated throughout the day as news and developments emerge. You can also follow all the alumni news headlines on the Finovate Twitter account.

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Toopher Brings Invisible Multifactor Authentication to WordPress

By David Penn Posted on
Categories: Toopher

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Three of the best words in this business – Free. Live. Downloadable – now apply to Toopher’s WordPress plugin, available at toopher.com/wordpress.

Josh Alexander, CEO of Toopher, said, “WordPress is the foundation for so many sites of all levels of sophistication …Now any WordPress site owner can feel confident they can continue using the simple, wildly popular, open source website platform, but that now can include industrial-grade security with consumer-style user experience.”

Toopher’s agreement with WordPress comes months after announcing its partnership to provide authentication services for fellow Finovate alum miiCard (Fall 2013).

The company’s authentication process leverages the user’s smartphone in order to provide security against online fraud, password hacks, and identity theft. Toopher’s “phone stays in your pocket” approach automates the process, using the phone’s location-awareness to make authentication “invisible”. The result is what the company calls “a security solution that people actually want to use.”
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The new plugin means that more than 72 million WordPress websites around the world will have access to Toopher’s authentication technology. On websites hosted by WordPress, nearly 400 million people view more than 14 billion pages a month.
Taking advantage of Toopher requires downloading the plugin and acquiring access credentials to Toopher’s API. This will enable all users of a site to deploy Toopher.
Toopher demoed their technology in a memorable presentation at FinovateFall in September. Take a look at the speed-talking, laptop-tossing duo from Toopher here.

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BillGuard’s New iPhone Features Bring Analytics and Coupons to Daily Spending

By Julie Muhn (@julieschicktanz) Posted on
Categories: BillGuard

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BillGuard, the startup that alerts consumers of incorrect charges, has taken its platform to a new level today with the launch of analytics and deals features on its iPhone app.

Its self-titled Smart Money App has two new features:

  • Spending Analytics: helps users analyze their finances month-over-month by comparing spending habits.
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  • Smart Saving: shares deals with users based on their spending habits that could help them save money. In order to keep coupons relevant to users, BillGuard lets them redeem or reject coupons. 
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The launch of this update marks BillGuard’s transitions from a reactive financial management approach to a proactive one. Since users log into the New York-based company’s app an average of four times per week, it is hoping to make financial management a steady habit.

BillGuard’s app has consistently been listed in the top 20 free apps in the finance category. Check out Netbanker’s coverage here.

BillGuard launched BillGuard FI at FinovateSpring 2012. Check out the demo video here.

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Finovate Alumni News– November 26, 2013

By Julie Muhn (@julieschicktanz) Posted on
Categories: Dwolla, Enloop, MasterCard, planwise, Zopa
  • Finovate-F-Logo.jpgIowa State student creates PayHere (for Dwolla) with startup’s API demo.
  • Planwise integrating into Solid Earth’s real estate platform, Spring, which provides listing and tax data.
  • Forbes lists enloop as 1 of 12 business writing tools to improve business writing.
  • Finextra blogger talks peer-to-peer lending and Zopa.
  • MasterCard announces partnership with Ogone to deploy MasterPass in Europe.
This post will be updated throughout the day as news and developments emerge. You can also follow all the alumni news headlines on the Finovate Twitter account.

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